The phenomenon was weakened when it hit the coast of Madagascar but carried by extreme winds. Tropical Cyclone Freddy killed 4 people on the island, hit Tuesday night on the east coast, according to the National Bureau of Risk and Disaster Management (BNGRC) on Wednesday. The organization's first assessment in the morning reported "four people" dead, "16,660 people affected" and none missing at this stage.
Nearly 3,300 homes were flooded, almost as much damaged. More than 11,000 people have been displaced, most of them sheltered in emergency shelters. "Freddy brought less rainfall and the damage recorded is almost entirely wind-related," said Faly Aritiana Fabien of BNGRC.
Freddy continues his journey to Mozambique
The cyclone made landfall in the east of the country in the Mananjary region on Tuesday evening around 18:30 (French time) and is currently continuing its westward course. The coastal city of 25,000 people was already largely destroyed last year by Cyclone Batsirai, which killed more than 135 people. "The weakened system continues its trajectory on the lands of Madagascar," with an average wind reduced to 65 km / h, according to Météo-France. The cyclone had previously passed off Mauritius and Reunion, causing less damage than feared because it had not made landfall.
Freddy is expected to leave Madagascar in the evening and hit Mozambique on Friday as a tropical storm, with heavy rain, according to forecasts. One of the poorest countries in the world, Madagascar has been hit for months by extreme drought in a large area of the South, causing acute malnutrition and pockets of famine. A dozen storms or cyclones cross the southwest Indian Ocean each year during the hurricane season, which runs from November to April.
- World
- Madagascar
- Cyclone
- Weather forecast